Past Meeting

Sunday, Sept. 14thRoom 101, Casa del Prado, Balboa Park

This month Shirley Kavanaugh will be presenting the art of mame (pronounced "ma-may") bonsai. She has one of the most extensive collections of mame, some of which can be seen at the upcoming SDBC Fall Bonsai show.

Bonsai is known for its small size, but the effort to miniaturize trees is sometimes taken to the extreme; the results are tiny trees called mame bonsai. Mame bonsai are less than six inches tall, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The small size presents unique challenges both in design and in care of the bonsai.

The bonsai artist is not simply trying to grow a miniature tree, but striving to create the illusion of the tree in nature. Because mame provides fewer details to use in creating the illusion, such as fewer leaves, shorter branches and trunks, the difficulty in creating the illusion increases -- the entire process of creating an ideal tree becomes more abstract and intensified.

Educational Activities:

Beginner's class from August continues: Japanese garden juniper.

Skills class: Air-layering.

Bonsai Help:Bring in any trees you have concerns about as we have knowledgeable members available in the Bonsai Help area to the right of the stage in room 101.

Reminder: Bring items for the benefit drawing and food to share with the other members.